Scripture:
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Wed, 20 July 2022

Divine Faithfulness in Divine Call

Observation:

How are verses 23 and 24 related?

Deeper Reflection
PAUL’S PRAYER FOR DIVINE SANCTIFICATION (V.23) IS grounded on “He who calls you” (v.24). Central in our lives must be “God has called me”. This means our lives must be utterly theocentric and consciously theological. God “has called” us to “holiness” (1 Thess 4:7). Holiness is not just about sexual purity (cf. 1 Thess 4:1-8), but “be holy in all your conduct” (1 Pet 1:15-16). Biblical holiness encompasses everything in our lives, including our eating and drinking (1 Cor 10:31).There are two interrelated parts in God’s call: we answer God’s call for us and God fulfils His call for us. This call to holiness is answered by us and fulfilled by God in the already-and-not-yet eschatological tension that God has designed, and in our three-steps-forward, two-steps-back discipleship reality. And complete sanctification will happen only “at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”.Paul’s emphasis here is God’s part: “He who calls you…”. The first word and the last word in a Greek sentence show where the emphasis is. The first word and the last word in verse 24 are “faithful” and “will-do” respectively: “Faithful [is] the one calling you, who also will-do [it].”51 Note the double emphasis on God’s faithfulness. Firstly, the character of God: God is “faithful”. Secondly, the certainty about God: He “will do” it. And the divine certainty is tied to the divine character. The double emphasis on God’s faithfulness gives us a double assurance of God’s faithfulness. Verses 23 to 24 are filled entirely with God’s acts and accomplishments. And like Paul, we pray, trusting in God’s trustworthiness.
51 Robert K. Brown and Philip W. Comfort, The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament (Tyndale House, 1990), 718
Application:

How do I understand God’s call for me in theological and practical terms?

Prayer:
Write a prayer to God as your response from your meditation on and application of the Scriptures.
Prayer Pointers:
  • Give thanks and praise
  • Pray for leaders
  • Pray for significant people
  • Pray for Singapore: That God will in His faithfulness fulfil His redemptive purposes for Singapore
  • Pray for self

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Daily Devo
Daily Devotional Journal
Scripture:
Daniel 10:11-12, 14-19
Tue, 26 September 2023

A Man of High Esteem

Observation:

What significant observations can you make about Daniel being called “man of high esteem” (vv.11, 19)?

Deeper Reflection
One of the heavenly beings called Daniel “man of high esteem” (v.11). This honour was bestowed on Daniel emphatically, in that it was repeated twice (v.19). This “high esteem” did not come from man, but from God Himself. God gave this honour to Daniel toward the end of his life when God called him to “enter into rest” (Dan 12:13). As a youth, Daniel “made up his mind not to defile himself with the king’s choice food” (Dan 1:8), and as an old man, he was faithful to God in spending time with Him in his “three times a day” devotion, even if it means to be thrown into the lions’ den (Dan 6:10). Daniel was finishing well in his life with “humbling yourself before your God” (v.12). When we think of finishing well in terms of successful accomplishments, we must be careful that we are not exalting ourselves.It is not for us to see ourselves in any way as a person of high esteem before God. It is for God to say that to us (2 Cor 10:17-18). Daniel never saw himself as a “man of high esteem”. A key emphasis in Daniel 10 is Daniel being greatly overwhelmed by the holiness and glory of God represented by the heavenly being with an awesome appearance (Dan 10:5-10, 15-18). And it was in this encounter with God when he was called “man of high esteem” that Daniel said, “How can such a servant of my Lord talk with such as my Lord?”50 (v.17). The man highly esteemed by God saw his unworthiness before God.
50 I have theologically translated “my lord” to “my Lord”, since the heavenly being is a representation of God.
Application:

What does being highly esteemed by God mean to me?

Prayer:
Write a prayer to God as your response from your meditation on and application of the Scriptures.
Prayer Pointers:
  • Give thanks and praise
  • Pray for pastors and staff: To be able to see oneself as God sees
  • Pray for significant people
  • Pray for those in need
  • Pray for self

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